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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24156838">Step 13: Live Happily Ever After</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatieBethBug/pseuds/KatieBethBug'>KatieBethBug</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stardew Valley (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Pregnancy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:13:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,394</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24156838</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatieBethBug/pseuds/KatieBethBug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Female farmer with she/her pronouns. Never named. The culmination of a 12 step plan to fall in love with Shane. The farmer has been married to Shane for nearly a year and is getting ready to expand their little family.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Shane/Female Player (Stardew Valley)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>89</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Stories from Serotonin Farm</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Step 13: Live Happily Ever After</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Based off my and my friends' multiplayer game in which one romanced Sam, one romanced Sebastian, and I have a 12 step plan to romance Shane. It is a process! Takes place in summer of year 4. Let's pretend Jas actually moves in with the farmer and Shane instead of staying with Marnie if Shane marries.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>   “Hey Maru?” she asked, leaning over the counter. The young woman hummed a question in response, her back to the farmer, looking through the rack of prescriptions for the one the farmer had come in to retrieve. “Could I- ah,” she stumbled over her words, “could I get a couple pregnancy tests?”<br/>
<br/>
Maru whipped around, eyes wide, brows raised, a slight open-mouthed grin on her face, hand clenched around the bag containing Shane’s prescription. “You aren’t?” she asked in more of a stage whisper than anything else. No one else was in the clinic but Harvey, but she still had the decency to keep something like this quiet.<br/>
<br/>
The farmer shrugged, an awkward half-grimace half-smile on her face, “I don’t know yet. But, well, we stopped worrying about protection back in the spring. And I, ah, I’ve missed a period.”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah?” Maru asked, leaning her arm on the counter as well, minimizing the space between the women.<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah, I thought it could just be due to all the stress we went through and work we had to do to get the wine cellar up and running. But,” she took the meds from Maru, reaching into her bag to pull out her wallet, “I figured I better find out for sure.”<br/>
<br/>
Maru grinned, “Of course.” She bent down, looking under the counter and coming back up with two rectangular boxes. She put them on the counter, going over to the register to ring up the purchase. She looked back over at the farmer, “Does Shane have any idea?”<br/>
<br/>
The farmer laughed, “Not really. He’s not the most perceptive about that stuff.”<br/>
<br/>
She shook her head, a little chuckle leaving her lips, “Men.” The farmer laughed again. After the price came up on the register, she held her hand out for the money. She asked as she placed it into the register, “Do you want me to make you an appointment with Harvey?”<br/>
<br/>
She thought about it for a moment, taking in a deep breath. “No, not yet,” she said with a small, definitive nod, “I’ll come by tomorrow once I get the results from these tonight.”<br/>
<br/>
“Might be best to have him check even if they come back negative.” The farmer cocked her head, brows furrowed in question. “The stick tests aren’t really the most reliable. False negatives happen, especially if you’re a lot earlier than you think. But,” she considered the farmer, looking at her belly, trying to gauge whether she had begun to put on any weight, “if you’re at least a month along, the tests should be right.”<br/>
<br/>
“Thanks Maru,” she answered with a smile. She turned to leave the clinic but thought better of it for a moment, “Please don’t tell anyone. I want to tell Shane tonight before anyone else knows, even Harvey.”<br/>
<br/>
She grinned, “Absolutely!” She waved across the counter as the farmer began to open the door, “Good luck!”<br/>
<br/>
The farmer exited the clinic, hastily shoving the bag into her purse. She glanced around at the town, anxiety and excitement sending adrenaline coursing through her. Caroline and Jodi stood talking in the square. Caroline looked up, and noticing her, waved the farmer over. The farmer groaned to herself; she was really anxious to just get back to the farmhouse and take one of the tests. But, she pushed down her anxiety and smiled, going over to chat with her two best friends. “Hey!”<br/>
<br/>
“Hey,” replied Jodi, “how are you doing today?”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, I’m good,” she responded, “How are y’all?”<br/>
<br/>
Caroline smiled, “We’re doing well. Jodi was just gushing over Sam’s kids.” The farmer’s stomach flipped. Jodi grinned, pulling out her phone and showing the farmer the newest picture Sam had sent. His kids were seated atop one of the pigs on the farm.<br/>
<br/>
“I guess you see them doing stuff like this all the time,” Jodi said, her smile threatening to falter.<br/>
<br/>
Noticing the melancholic tone to her voice, the farmer quickly answered, “Oh, no. Not all the time! The animals basically go wherever they please, so they rarely stay near my house. And most of my work is done on my part of the farm.” She grinned mischievously, “Plus, Jodi, your house is only about a half-hour walk to the farm. You can come see your grandkids whenever, you know?”<br/>
<br/>
Caroline smirked at her friend, “I know I would be over all the time if I were you, Jodi. I wouldn’t miss a minute if I didn’t have to.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well,” Jodi considered the proposition, putting her phone back in her pocket, “I guess I haven’t been over there since you threw that party for Shane’s birthday.” She looked at the ground thoughtfully, “I’ll have to come over more.”<br/>
<br/>
“Speaking of that party,” Caroline segued, “how is Shane doing?”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh,” the farmer brightened at the mention of her husband. She was proud to hear how the people of Pelican Town had really come to care about him. “Shane’s good. He’s been so much happier since the Joja Mart got turned into the cinema. Plus, he’s really taken to being a house husband.”<br/>
<br/>
Jodi laughed, “Really? He’s enjoying staying on the farm all day?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah, it lets him spend more time with Jas.”<br/>
<br/>
“He’s a real stay-at-home-dad, now, isn’t he?” Caroline queried.<br/>
<br/>
The farmer laughed nervously. Shane always considered himself more of an uncle or guardian to Jas rather than her father. But he had been overjoyed when Jas chose to live with him and the farmer after their marriage rather than staying with Marnie. So, while everyone in town seemed to consider Shane a dad already, the results on the tests in the farmer’s bag would either confirm or deny it to Shane. She grinned, “Yeah, he pretty much is.”<br/>
<br/>
Caroline laughed, “Never thought I’d see the day. You must be so proud of him.”<br/>
<br/>
“I am,” she softened, “He has gone through so much. I’m glad I can finally give him the nice, comfortable life he deserves.” After the brief, happy silence between the three women, the farmer turned to leave, “Oh, Jodi?” Jodi hummed in response. “When Penny picks up Vincent for class tomorrow, can you let her know Shane has volunteered to chaperone the kids on their field trip out to the desert?”<br/>
<br/>
Jodi lit up, “Really? I’m sure Jas will love that!” The farmer nodded, grinning. “Sure. I’ll tell her. Have a good day!”<br/>
<br/>
“You too!” the farmer waved back at her friends before heading home. She walked quickly, but not too quickly; though the adrenaline rush of the purchase had slowed since her conversation with the moms, it was beginning to surge through her again. She waved to Pam as she stood beside the bus and breathed a sigh of relief upon unlatching the gate and entering the farm. It was quiet, as usual.<br/>
<br/>
The chickens bobbed through the grass, sometimes stopping to peck at the grass seed. The cows and goats meandered around, grazing near the greenhouse. One pig made her way along the path over to one of the other farmers’ houses. The flowers beside her cottage were in full bloom and the bees buzzed peacefully around them, gathering the spangle nectar. The long lines of melons were beginning to show small fruits. She laughed a little at the thought that she too might be a large round melon by the end of the season. The thought drew her hand into her bag, and her fingers ghosted over the boxes Maru had given her. She took a deep breath and opened the door to her home.<br/>
<br/>
She smiled to see Shane and Jas seated at the kitchen table, going over Jas’s homework. Shane looked up as she slipped off her boots, putting them against the wall beside Shane’s sneakers and Jas’s mary-janes. It never ceased to amaze her how big Jas had gotten since she moved to the valley. When she moved in, Jas was so little, only six, and now she had just turned ten. Penny had even been taking online classes to get her secondary education degree so that she could remain Jas and Vincent’s teacher until they would graduate. And now, with Sam and Sebastian’s kids, she would be teaching several different curricula. Honestly, she thought, Penny might be the best thing to ever happen to the kids of Pelican Town.<br/>
<br/>
The farmer came over to stand behind her husband and his goddaughter. She leaned on Shane’s shoulder, “What’re y’all working on today?”<br/>
<br/>
Jas grinned up at her, “Miss Penny is having us read Peter Pan!”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, very cool,” the farmer grinned back at Jas. Her lip curled mischievously, “Are you reading to him, or is he reading to you today?”<br/>
<br/>
Shane leaned up to kiss his wife’s cheek, “I’m reading to her right now, but she read out loud to me while I gathered the eggs earlier.” Jas smiled, proud of herself. “She did really well.”<br/>
<br/>
The farmer ruffled Jas’s hair, “I’m sure she did.” “Now,” she directed to Shane, “why doesn’t Jas read to you while you make dinner? I’ve got something I’ve got to sort out really quick, then I’ll come join you.”<br/>
<br/>
Shane raised an eyebrow, eyeing his wife suspiciously. “Sure,” he responded slowly. The farmer leaned down and pecked the top of his head. He passed the book over to Jas, “Alright, I left off at the top of this page.” He pointed to the page. “Tell me about the mermaids, Jazzy.”<br/>
<br/>
She grinned and began to read. Shane stood up from the table and gave his wife a wary once over. He mouthed, “Are you okay?”<br/>
<br/>
She nodded, mouthing back, “Yeah. Just one minute.” She held up a finger and gave him a smile before retreating into their bedroom. She set the paper bag down on the bed, fishing out the pill bottle and setting it on Shane’s bedside table. Two small rectangular boxes rested at the bottom of the bag now. She took a shaky breath and pulled one out. It was white with words scrawled in loopy pink writing, claiming 99% accuracy and easy-to-read results. A picture of the test was held at a diagonal, a little pink plus on the output screen promising the result she was half hopeful, half anxious to receive. She took it and the other box into the small en-suite bathroom and turned on the sink. The farmer took a deep breath, hiked up her skirt, pulled down her underwear, and took a seat. She took one of the boxes and slid her finger under the cardboard flap, opening it. Inside sat two long, pink foil-wrapped tests and a thin piece of paper with instructions written on it.<br/>
<br/>
She unwrapped one of the tests and examined the stick. The brand name was printed across it in big pink letters, and there was a translucent pink cap at the end. There was a deep dip in the stick where the results screen sat empty. Beside that, two images were printed: a pink cross and a pink line reading pregnant and not pregnant, respectively. After skimming the instructions, she uncapped the test and held it under her, attempting to relax and listen to the sound of the water running in the sink. After finishing, she tapped off the stick and set it on the edge of the sink. She stood up, pulled up her underwear, washed her hands, and set a timer on her phone for five minutes.<br/>
<br/>
The farmer sat on the end of her bed, phone in her hand, staring blankly at the screen as the timer ticked down. She was excited, nervous, terrified, hopeful. She did not know exactly how to feel. She and Shane had been married nearly a year and were dating for almost a full year before that. There was no question about whether she wanted to make a family with him; she had decided that the first Flower Dance he had been willing to dance with her, long before they ever started dating. As he battled his addiction and depression, she had always been at his side, and, since she had found him lying in the mud and rain at the edge of the cliff that spring night two years ago, she had known there was nothing that could ever make her leave him.<br/>
<br/>
He had done so well, asking for help from his psychiatrist, from Harvey, and from her. He had become such a wonderful caregiver to Jas, she thought, resting her hand over her overall-clad, soft but relatively flat belly. He would be just as excellent a father to a biological child as he had been to Jas.<br/>
<br/>
She flopped back onto the bed, looking back to her phone and texting her farmhands. She took a steadying breath and began to type, “Want to have dinner together tomorrow night?”<br/>
<br/>
A text from one popped in almost immediately, “Sure. What’s the occasion?”<br/>
<br/>
The other responded, “Bring the husbands? And kids?”<br/>
<br/>
The farmer typed back, “Yeah. Big happy family dinner.” “No occasion,” she maybe lied.<br/>
<br/>
“Okay. I’ll get back from the mines early then,” Sebastian’s spouse responded.<br/>
<br/>
“I was just going to fish anyway.”<br/>
<br/>
“Great,” the farmer answered, “be at my house at six. Bring a largemouth bass lol.” She laughed to herself. Hopefully, she would have some news to share with her friends, her family, but, if not, it would be a nice way to take her mind off of a negative result. She realised with a small smile that she did have a preference for the result on the test. Until now, she was not sure which result, the plus or the line, she would prefer. Their relationship certainly did not feel new, but, logically, it was. Neither of them was terribly young or old; Shane had just turned 31 at the end of spring, and she would be turning 25 just before the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies. With Jas having just turned ten, it did seem a little bizarre to be raising a child not even fifteen years her junior. So, if the test was negative, they still had plenty of time to have children, but with her friends already with established households and two kids apiece, she felt a little behind the curve.<br/>
<br/>
And, they had decided to take things slow. She and Shane had decided to not even begin dating until he felt that he was ready and no longer dependant on alcohol. They had also discussed how he needed to be able to handle his depression without using their relationship as a crutch. So, all the while they remained close friends, and even when they were dating, Krobus moved in with her to help keep up the house and farm. Shane had been shocked and even a little afraid after meeting the shadow man for the first time, but they eventually were okay with each other. “Oh!” she exclaimed, sitting up with a start. She would have to go over to the sewers in the next few days to share her news. If, of course, she had any news.<br/>
<br/>
Just then, the timer on her phone went off, and she stood, legs slightly trembling, and made her way back to the bathroom. The stick lay exactly where she had left it, the pink cap discarded in the soap dish. She held her breath as she picked up the test to get a better look at the result. There was a bold pink plus in the circle. A grin broke across her face. She quickly rinsed the input end of the stick and retrieved the cap from the soap dish, clicking it on the end.<br/>
<br/>
She looked at herself in the mirror and brushed a stray hair behind her ear. The farmer pulled out her phone and took a picture of the stick as it lay on the sink and promptly clicked off her phone. She would send out the picture to her friends later, tomorrow after their dinner. She picked up the test and held it behind her back, walking back through their bedroom and into the den. As she opened the door, she heard Jas reading with earnest, happily describing the mermaids in their lagoon. Hearing the door creak, Shane looked up from his cutting board, where he was carefully deveining shrimp. He gave her a little, half-cocked smile, one that asked what took so long, but went right back to listening to Jas read and working on supper. She slipped the test into her pocket and went over to help.<br/>
A few minutes later, as she put the pasta into boiling water and Shane began to pan fry the shrimp with some garlic and lemon, Jas finished the chapter of her book. Shane turned back to look at his goddaughter, “Jazzy, why don’t you go wash up while we finish cooking? We’ll call you down in a few minutes.”<br/>
<br/>
She shrugged, placing her bookmark into Peter Pan and snapping the book shut. “Okay,” she bounced upstairs, the book held tight in her arms.<br/>
<br/>
Shane turned to face his wife, brow raised, “So, what is up with you today?”<br/>
<br/>
She smiled, “What’s up with me?” She stirred the pasta without watching it.<br/>
<br/>
“You’ve been acting weird since you got home. Did Maru give you a hard time about my meds?”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, no,” she laughed, “Maru’s great. I put them on your bedside table, by the way.”<br/>
<br/>
“Thanks,” he said, looking down at the shrimp in the pan. She walked around him to get the leftover radish salad from the refrigerator. “Then what is it? What did you have to,” he made air quotes, “sort out?” She tried to contain a grin, but he noticed the slight upward curve of her lips. His eyes narrowed but his mouth pulled up into a small smirk, “What are you so happy about?”<br/>
<br/>
She reached in the pocket of her skirt, closing her hand around the test. “Promise you won’t cry or scream or pass out.”<br/>
<br/>
His eyes widened, “Should I be worried?”<br/>
<br/>
She began to pull it from her skirt, “You should be excited. But worried is valid too.”<br/>
<br/>
He lowered his head slightly so that his eye line was level with hers and gave a wary chuckle, “Now I’m really worried.”<br/>
<br/>
“Maybe just be a little worried,” she pulled it out of her pocket and let it rest upright in her open palms. She beamed up at him, “We’re having a baby!”<br/>
<br/>
Shane froze, staring down at the pink plus sign on the stick. He blinked a few times, and his gaze flickered up to meet his wife’s, “You’re…?”<br/>
<br/>
Her smile dropped ever so slightly. “I’m pregnant, yeah,” she said gently. He continued to stare at her. She gripped the stick in her left hand and reached out to clasp his shoulder with the other. She 
furrowed her brow, looking into his face for a sign of any emotion beyond shock, “That’s alright, isn’t it?” He did not respond.<br/>
<br/>
She dropped her gaze from his face to the floor and, as tears began to well up in her eyes, she babbled, “I thought we were ready. We talked about having kids back in the spring, before your birthday. And you said you were ready, Shane. I stopped taking my birth control. You said that was fine.”<br/>
<br/>
He gripped her shoulder, leaving the spatula in the pan, and took her chin in his other hand. He tilted her face up until she looked him in the eyes. A few tears dripped down her face as she stared at him, searching his face. He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her back. “I’m so happy, sweetheart.” He gave a soft chuckle into her hair, “That just wasn’t quite the news I was expecting you to share while making dinner.”<br/>
<br/>
She pulled back from him, tear trails still streaked down her face but a smile on her lips, “I should kill you for making me panic like that.” She slapped his shoulder and then leaned across him to pick up his spatula, “You make me panic. You almost burn our shrimp. I should leave you.”<br/>
<br/>
He pulled her to him from behind, resting his large palm over her belly and dropping his head to kiss the crook of her neck. She felt him grin against her, “You can’t leave me now; you’re carrying my baby.”</p>
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